How do I find out about concerts? How do I get more details about something I heard over the air? How do I submit events to WORT’s Music Calendars? Who do I contact with changes or cancellations?

WORT’s Music Calendars are a great resource to find out about concerts in all genres and places. Usually you’ll find details in the online listing or links to get more information. There’s a link to to submit your event at the top of the calendar page. You can also submit events, changes and cancellations to calendar@wortfm.org.

Contact Information

Music Director: Sybil Augustine – musicdirector@wortfm.org (for music submissions, charts and tracking, promotional exchanges for music events and following up on volunteer applications or other requests. Please include specifics in your subject line, such as “Hiphop Music Submission” etc, )

How do I get my music played on WORT?

We accept submissions in most genres and styles of music, focusing on noncommercial, out-of-the-mainstream, independent releases (check out our playlists and music charts for more information.) It may take up to a few weeks for us to review and process your submission so we appreciate your patience, and feel free to contact us to follow up. Please send your music, indicating any tracks with language that needs to be aired after 10 pm and including a one-sheet description and any biographical and tour information, to WORT Music Director, 118 S. Bedford St, Madison, WI 53703 and/or to musicdirector@wortfm.org.

We do accept digital files on .wav or mp3, but currently we still prefer CDs to digital submissions because it’s the quickest way to get it into the hands of our programmers and onto the airwaves, though we have a growing digital library. Digital submissions should be .wav or other lossless files, or high quality mp3s [128-320 kbps.]

You can follow up or “track” your submissions by email, or call 608-256-2001 on Wednesdays between 1-4 pm CST to ask if we received it, has it been reviewed, has it been added to our library, and what kind of airplay it’s getting—e.g. light, medium, heavy or charting. Thanks and we look forward to hearing your music!

WORT Music Playlists

What was that song I heard? Who was the artist, what is the album title, where can I get it? Where can I find the entire playlist for a show?

Click on the Playlists button to bring up a calendar where you can choose any date to find the playlists for that day. If you can’t find the right playlist or the song you’re looking for, your best bet is to call the station the next time that program’s on and ask the host yourself. If that’s not possible we may be able to help you, but please have as much information as possible at hand when you contact us, such as: approximate day and time the music was played, what type or genre of music it was, who hosted the show and any other information you remember about the selection and we’ll do our best to track it down.

Once you figure it out, there’s a “Buy It!” link next to each track in online playlists that leads you to a place where you can buy songs and albums, and by doing it that way a small portion of each purchase goes to support WORT.

On the Al Jazeera doping allegations and the Packers

The Packers may be resting easier this week, after the news that the NFL cleared Clay Matthews and Julius Peppers in its probe into performance enhancing drug use.

In December 2015, the Al Jazeera America Network specifically named both players in a documentary alleging the use of performance enhancing drugs. The documentary also named Pittsburgh Steelers D-man James Harrison and former Packer but now free agent Mike Neal as other alleged users.

Al Jazeera named the documentary “The Dark Side– the secret world of sports doping.”

The documentary offers little in the way of proof. Most of its evidence came from a young intern who was secretly filmed. This intern recanted his story before this documentary aired. There is no paper trail. There is no timeline. There’s not much backing up these claims.

Instead of defending its players against these baseless charges, the NFL decided to go on the offensive. The NFL sent its players’ union threatening letters demanding interviews with Matthews, Peppers, Harrison and Neal, and threatened to suspend the players if they do not cooperate fully with an investigation.

If they had done nothing wrong, then what is the problem with sitting down and having a chat with the NFL?

Well, the NFL has not been transparent with its investigations of players. Recently, players are more likely to be disciplined for their conduct DURING the investigation than for any of the alleged behavior that inspired the investigation in the first place.

Just look at New England Quarterback Tom Brady. Brady is serving a four game suspension due to the deflategate debacle. The NFL determined Brady “more likely than not” was involved in a scheme to deflate footballs in a playoff game. The NFL’s final report did not have direct and verified evidence that Brady was involved.

Instead, Brady was punished for not cooperating with the investigation. The NFL says he did not provide cell phones and other possible documentation that investigators were convinced he had. The lack of evidence was cited as proof of wrongdoing.